Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Nairobi

For one person, living is cheaper in Nairobi: $874 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Nairobi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Nairobi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $874 in Nairobi, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Nairobi $874

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,403 in Nairobi, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Nairobi $1,403

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,932 in Nairobi, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Nairobi $1,932

Nosara costs about 110% more than Nairobi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Nairobi is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.12 KES 794

99.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$35.26 KES 4,574

70.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.59 KES 854

14.42%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.71 KES 351

59.04%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₡773

$0.66 KES 85.4

160.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.57 KES 73.9

136.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.33 KES 302

39.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.75 KES 357

62.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.89 KES 116

76.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.54 KES 69.9

487.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.94 KES 252

24.74%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.71 KES 222

108.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$10.63 KES 1,378

-30.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.35 KES 824

64.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$6.22 KES 807

119.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.30 KES 428

-29.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.06 KES 137

51.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$2.05 KES 265

131.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.10 KES 142

50.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.12 KES 145

232.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.10 KES 143

224.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.73 KES 95.3

50.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.77 KES 100

231.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$3.62 KES 469

36.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$11.46 KES 1,486

74.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.28 KES 296

22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.69 KES 349

31.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.79 KES 102

50.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$45.51 KES 5,902

58.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.52 KES 197

47.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.58 KES 205

-1.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$2.81 KES 364

215.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.56 KES 203

0.64%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$21.8K KES 2.8M

0.12%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$19.9K KES 2.6M

73.66%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$56.9 KES 7,375

64.35%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$15.35 KES 1,991

128.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$35.18 KES 4,563

46.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$49.39 KES 6,406

44.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$15.39 KES 1,996

130.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.83 KES 1,016

0.13%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$490 ₡220.7K

$250 KES 32.4K

95.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$12.5K KES 1.6M

-5.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$27.71 KES 3,594

93.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$28.64 KES 3,714

94.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$68.7 KES 8,911

15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$58.9 KES 7,638

33.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$453 KES 58.8K

73.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$217 KES 28.2K

258.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,106 KES 143.4K

249.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$507 KES 65.8K

177.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,292 KES 167.6K

439.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$897 KES 116.3K

33.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$481 KES 62.4K

82.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

14.71

-41.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nairobi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Nairobi

$217 25.3% 72.1% $562

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Nairobi

$205 23.9% 41.3% $144

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Nairobi

$123 14.4% 41.1% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Nairobi

$107 12.5% 40.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Nairobi

$83 9.6% 31.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nairobi

$65 7.6% 25.3% $22

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Nairobi

$58 6.8% 33.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $453 in Nairobi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 82% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $35.00 in Nairobi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $205 – making Nairobi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

08:01 8:01 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,138,295 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Nairobi 13,590 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Nairobi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Nosara vs Nairobi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 110% more than Nairobi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,311 in Nairobi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nairobi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Nairobi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $250 in Nairobi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nairobi, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Nairobi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nairobi costs $874 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nairobi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.